Wiznet makers

W5500-EVB-Pico2 Carrier for Gateway Builds

Wiznet_5500_EVB_Pico2_E22P is a custom carrier board that combines a WIZnet W5500-EVB-Pico2, an Ebyte E22P/E22 LoRa module, PoE support, sensor wiring, and expansion headers into one gateway-oriented hardware design. The WIZnet board supplies the RP2350 microcontroller and on-board W5500 Ethernet controller, while the carrier adds the LoRa radio and supporting connectors needed for Meshtastic, MQTT gateway, APRS iGate/Digipeater, and remote monitoring use cases. The technical value is not a new protocol stack inside this repository, but a practical hardware integration that gives a LoRa node stable wired Ethernet and optional power over the same cable.

The board is built around a useful division of responsibilities. The W5500-EVB-Pico2 handles the MCU and wired network side. WIZnet's product documentation describes the W5500-EVB-Pico2 as an RP2350 evaluation board with the fully hardwired W5500 TCP/IP controller, and the W5500 provides the Ethernet MAC/PHY and socket-oriented networking hardware. The E22P/E22 radio module provides the long-range LoRa side. The README then adds gateway-facing software targets: Meshtastic firmware, Ethernet OTA update, MQTT gateway behavior, and CA2RXU LoRa APRS iGate/Digipeater firmware.

The repository itself is hardware documentation. It includes an assembled photo, a 2D layout view, a 3D render, a schematic export, a BOM in the README, pin mapping tables, GPL-2.0 license text, and links to pre-built firmware files. It does not include firmware source, KiCad source, Gerbers, or a native BOM file. For that reason, the article treats the hardware repository and the connected Meshtastic firmware fork as two separate evidence sources.

Ethernet, PoE, and LoRa Layout

The README and schematic show the carrier as a compact board for a gateway node. The W5500-EVB-Pico2 is mounted across the lower portion of the board, with its Ethernet connector, USB-C connector, RP2350, and W5500 already on the WIZnet module. The Ebyte module and SMA antenna connector occupy the LoRa side. The board also exposes I2C and UART expansion connectors, with jumper-selectable voltage notes in the README.

Power is part of the design story. The README lists WIZPoE-P1, and WIZnet's WIZPoE-P1 documentation describes it as an IEEE 802.3af PoE module with Mode A and Mode B support. In practical gateway deployments, that means the board can be designed around a single Ethernet cable for network and power, while LoRa handles long-range radio packets. This is the main reason the project is more interesting than a plain LoRa breakout: it is arranged for fixed gateway installation, not only bench wiring.

The schematic image adds a few details that are easy to miss from the README alone. It labels blocks for MCU + Ethernet, LoRa, STEMMA QT I2C, UART, Temperature & Humidity, and Crypto. The sensor naming is not perfectly consistent: the README feature list and BOM mention BMP280, while the schematic labels an SHT40 sensor. The schematic also shows an SE050 secure element block that is not called out in the README BOM. Those details should be treated as hardware evidence, but not over-claimed as fully documented assembly instructions.

Connected Meshtastic Firmware Evidence

The hardware repository links pre-built Meshtastic firmware version 2.8.0.21c28dc. Checking the related cvaldess/firmware repository at commit 21c28dcc61b2aa87d4392ca0a33820c9ec9f0e32 shows a matching PlatformIO environment named wiznet_5500_evb_pico2_e22p. That environment targets wiznet_5500_evb_pico2, enables Ethernet OTA, Ethernet API, HTTPS API, and Ethernet defaults, and includes Ethernet, API, and MQTT source paths.

The same environment reuses the pin definition from pico2_w5500_e22. That variant defines W5500 Ethernet on SPI0 with MISO GP16, chip select GP17, SCK GP18, MOSI GP19, reset GP20, and SPI as the Ethernet port. It also defines SX1262 LoRa on SPI1 with SCK GP10, MOSI GP11, MISO GP12, chip select GP13, reset GP15, DIO1 GP14, BUSY GP2, and RF control on GP3. The Ethernet client source in the firmware sets the SPI pins, initializes Ethernet with the W5500 chip select, and starts Ethernet by DHCP or static IP. That is the code-level reason this project can be described as a wired Ethernet plus LoRa gateway target, not only a passive carrier board.

Where This Board Fits

This project is best understood as a practical gateway platform. Meshtastic and APRS-style nodes often need to sit in fixed locations with reliable power and network access. Wi-Fi can work in some places, but a wired Ethernet and PoE path is easier to deploy in network cabinets, rooftops, workshops, repeaters, and remote monitoring enclosures where power adapters and wireless backhaul are less convenient. The W5500-EVB-Pico2 gives the RP2350 a deterministic wired network interface, while the carrier board adds the radio and expansion hardware around it.

The project is also useful because it documents a concrete pin map for a W5500-EVB-Pico2 plus E22P/E22 design. Readers can see which SPI bus is reserved for Ethernet, which bus is used for the LoRa module, and how the expansion headers are intended to be used. The related firmware notes also warn about flash size: the WIZnet board target has 2 MB flash, so it should use the dedicated wiznet_5500_evb_pico2_e22p environment rather than the similar Pico 2 external-W5500 environment.

The main limitation is that the hardware repository is not a full manufacturing package. It is useful for understanding the concept, schematic-level structure, and board layout, but it does not provide editable KiCad source or fabrication outputs. The firmware is linked and its related source variant is public, but it is not stored in this hardware repository. Treat the project as a strong hardware reference and gateway integration example, not as a single self-contained product repository.

Related Maker projects connect this carrier to WIZnet's existing LoRa and PoE gateway examples. WisMesh Ethernet MQTT Gateway is the closest functional comparison because it combines LoRa mesh, wired Ethernet, and MQTT gateway behavior, but this project is an open hardware carrier around W5500-EVB-Pico2, E22P, PoE, SE050, and sensors. LoRa gateway based on W5500 with RT-Thread shares the W5500 plus LoRa gateway backbone with a different RTOS stack, while W5100S-POE-EVB-PICO provides the PoE plus Pico plus WIZnet Ethernet baseline that this design extends into a field gateway with LoRa, sensors, crypto, and Meshtastic-specific firmware notes.

FAQ

What is this project?

It is a custom carrier board for the WIZnet W5500-EVB-Pico2 and an Ebyte E22P/E22 LoRa module. It is intended for gateway-style use cases such as Meshtastic, MQTT gateway, APRS iGate/Digipeater, and remote monitoring.

What does the W5500-EVB-Pico2 provide?

It provides the RP2350 MCU and on-board W5500 Ethernet controller. In the connected Meshtastic firmware variant, the W5500 Ethernet path is initialized through the Arduino Ethernet library and used for Ethernet API, OTA, DHCP/static IP, and MQTT-related source paths.

Is firmware source included in the hardware repository?

No. The hardware repository links pre-built firmware files, but the source is in the related cvaldess/firmware fork. That fork contains the wiznet_5500_evb_pico2_e22p PlatformIO environment and the W5500/E22 pin definitions.

What sensor does the board use?

The repository has a documentation mismatch. The README mentions BMP280 in the feature list and BOM, while the schematic labels an SHT40 temperature and humidity sensor. The safest wording is to describe it as an I2C environmental sensor position unless the hardware revision is confirmed.

Can this be reused for another LoRa gateway design?

Yes, as a reference. The useful parts are the Ethernet plus PoE gateway layout, the SPI0/SPI1 split between W5500 and LoRa, and the expansion connector approach. A new design should still verify RF module band, power routing, firmware target, flash size, and regional radio settings.

Documents

• Hardware repository: README.md / Board description, BOM, images, firmware links, and pin mapping
• Schematic image: SCH_W5500_evb_Pico2-E22P.jpg / Schematic export
• PCB 3D render: W5500_evb_Pico2-E22P-3D.JPG / Board placement render
• Meshtastic board environment: platformio.ini / Firmware build target for this board
• Shared pin definition: variant.h / W5500 and E22 pin definitions reused by this variant
• WIZnet W5500-EVB-Pico2: WIZnet product page / Official RP2350 and W5500 board information
• WIZPoE-P1: WIZnet EU shop page / PoE module details